Offering freshly roasted coffee and locally made pastries, New Love Coffee LLC hopes to foster a sense of community at its soon-to-open café and coffee roaster in an envisioned Liberty Lake town center. 

New Love owner Ike Bubna, who is also commercial leasing manager for Greenstone Corp., says the café is scheduled to open Monday, Feb. 14, at 21802 E. Indiana. New Love has about 2,000 square feet of space, part of which it shares with the sales and leasing center for the Greenstone Corp. development called North Liberty Lake, or NoLL. The development is located along Harvard Road, just south of the Spokane River, north of Interstate 90.

"There are options like Starbucks and other drive-thrus out there, but it seemed like the … town center was a great spot to put a neighborhood coffee shop," Bubna says.

Bubna has been Greenstone's commercial leasing manager for about four years. Before his employment with the development company, Bubna spent several years in the coffee industry. He started at a corporate coffee chain in 2005 before moving to work for smaller cafés in Spokane and in the Seattle area.

"I also was part-time executive director of a nonprofit coffee shop in Seattle that (provided) jobs and internships for at-risk and homeless youth," Bubna says. "For me, this is a new love, even though it's something I've been doing for 17 years. Recently, I've reengaged in why I do it. A lot of it is the people and the connection to the community."

A room behind the café space is dedicated to New Love's coffee roasting operations. The company buys its beans from Shared Source, an Australia-based coffee bean importer with operations in Portland. Bubna says New Love initially will offer Colombian, Guatemalan, and Ethiopian coffees, both in its drinks and for retail sale.

"We might do blends sometimes, but our focus is going to be more on highlighting the coffees and where they're from," he says.

In addition to traditional coffee drinks, New Love will offer pastries from Spokane Valley-based The Blissful Whisk.

The café will offer some seasonal drinks. Bubna says cold brew coffee will be on the menu once warmer weather arrives.

The welcome center is an open space next to New Love that serves as a leasing and sales center for Greenstone's River District development, as well as a socializing space for residents.

"We have seating in the coffee shop area. People are welcome to sit in comfy chairs in the welcome center area, and upstairs there's a second level with more seating and with views of the river," Bubna says.

The multitenant building also houses Spokane Business Attorneys PLLC law office, Maverick's Mens Hair barbershop, Lake Lashes LLC eyelash supplies and application training center, and 3 Ninjas Liberty Lake restaurant.

New Love Coffee will be open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends. Bubna notes that hours might be different during the café's first week. Four people have been hired to staff the café.